Christian Reflection and Prayer

by Bobby Gross

In the early centuries, the
churches in the East celebrated
both the birth and the baptism
of Jesus on January 6. Not surprisingly,
the day became a major occasion
for performing baptisms, which led
to a preparatory period of fasting
and catechesis (instruction). During
the fourth century, the Eastern churches
followed the West's lead and adopted
December 25 for the Feast of the Nativity.
Even though this was no longer a day
for baptisms, Eastern churches retained
their tradition of penitential preparation.
This practice spread to the northern and
western regions of the church where
it fit well with the greater emphasis
there on the final coming and judgment
of Christ, which called for self-examination
and spiritual readiness. Today, Orthodox
Christians still observe a nativity fast
from meat November 15 through
December 24.

In the church centered in Rome, it
was a different story. There, Advent
entailed a festive preparation for the
birth of Christ from the start. In the
sixth century Pope Gregory the Great
established the forerunner of our
Advent by creating special masses for the
four Sundays preceding Christmas Day.
After seesawing over the ensuing centuries,
these two traditions, the "warm Latin joy"
and the "ascetic northern preparation"
eventually merged into the synthesis that
characterizes Advent today. While fasting
has largely fallen away in the West, we
still feel a subtle and fruitful tension. As
Christopher Hill puts it, "The pull between
the affectionate backward look and the
anxious forward look - both situated in the
world of human time" opens up the present
moment for Christ to come in our hearts.



Obviously, Advent and Christmas are closely
linked, and many cultural customs apply to
both seasons. For example, the Feast of St.
Nicholas, from which we get our idea of
Santa Claus, falls on December 6 in Advent.
Three Advent traditions - the Christmas tree,
the Advent wreath and the "O" Antiphons -
open for us respectively the themes of death
and life, darkness and light, doubt and longing.

Bobby Gross is director of graduate and
faculty ministries for InterVarsity Christian
Fellowship. Bobby also serves on the national
board of Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA)
and lives in Atlanta, GA.